A question dawned on me: does a human being have an intrinsic value in himself, or is his value relative to his contribution to mankind? (The masculine pronouns and possessives I am using are referred to "all" human beings, to mankind in general). Each individual has a spiritual essence that guides him throughout his existence. He tries to be good towards himself and towards others. But would he be considered worth saving in an extremely difficult situation? Let's imagine that an astronaut were stranded on Mars. Would an expensive mission be organized just to save his life or, rather, for the useful information he might provide upon his return to Earth? A quote I remember reading long ago said, "Man's value is according to his knowledge". Debatable affirmation, I would say. At least, I "hope" it is debatable.
No comments:
Post a Comment